FSU quarterback Ashton Daniels had the opportunity to speak with the media for the first time since enrolling this spring earlier this week. There has been a great deal of chatter surrounding Daniels and his transferring to FSU after working as the backup at Auburn last year.
One of the most glaring things that stands out about Daniels is the number of turnovers/interceptions he throws each year, along with a lower completion percentage. However, there was some improvement in that area in limited reps. He threw two interceptions in 119 pass attempts, but one was a Hail Mary and the other wasn’t his fault.
That’s a lot better than the 12 thrown in 271 attempts as the starting QB at Stanford in 2024. Daniels spoke about the changes that led to the improvement:
Florida State will need a QB who doesn't turn the ball over to find success in 2026
*(Around the 5:40 mark)
Daniels mentioned gaining confidence and the amount of film study he put into it, knowing where he was going to go with the ball in certain situations, and when he needed to protect the ball. The latter is the most important, because Daniels seemed to gain an understanding that it’s better to take a sack or take the checkdown than to try and force a throw that leads to an interception. That’s something Thomas Castellanos struggled with last season, and it bit FSU several times.
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Daniels also has the ability to make some throws over the middle that Castellanos usually missed or avoided. The biggest thing for Daniels is making good decisions and protecting the ball. If he can do those two things, the FSU offense will have a shot to score some points this season (no matter if it's him or Kevin Sperry as the starter).
If that happens and the defense takes a step forward? FSU could win a few more games than folk expect.